Valve system for control of paint to spreader

Abstract

The valve system described herein comprises a valve for controlling the flow of paint to a brush, roller or other paint spreading device which is actuated to permit the flow of paint through the valve by the pressure applied to the spreading device. The valve comprises a valve stem having an opening therein for the flow of paint, a valve head fastened rigidly to the valve stem and a chamber in which a lower part of the wall thereof comprises a valve seat. This system operates in such a manner that a pressure applied at an angle to the linear axis of the valve stem tilts the valve head against one portion of the adjacent valve seat thereby pressing one side of the valve head out of normal position so that there is an open space between the valve head and the valve seat through which paint may flow into the opening in the valve stem and ultimately into the paint spreading device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A paint application system comprising: (a) a paint source adapted to supply paint at a pressure of at least the force of gravity;   (b) a metering valve system comprising: (i) a handle having an interior opening extending lengthwise therethrough;   (ii) a supply tube extending through said opening in said handle, said tube being connected to and adapted to have paint from said paint source flow therethrough;   (iii) a valve communicating with the interior of said supply tube and attached to that end of said supply tube opposite from the end connected to said paint source comprising a chamber having an upper section and a lower section and an opening at the lower region of said lower section, a hollow valve stem extending upwardly through said opening having one or more port holes therein, a valve head rigidly attached to the upper end of said valve stem and resting against a surface in said chamber in such a manner to separate and seal the said upper section of said chamber from the lower section of said chamber, and so adapted that a sideway thrust applied at the lower end of said valve stem will cause the attached valve head to separate from the said surface at one side of said valve head, thereby opening a passageway between the upper and lower sections of said chamber and allowing fluid which may be contained in said upper chamber section to flow into said lower chamber section, through said port openings and through the hollow valve stem;   (iv) a paint dispensing means connected to and communicating with the interior of said valve stem and adapted to exert lateral pressure at the connecting end of said valve stem when manual pressure is applied for the application of paint by said paint dispensing means and thereby to actuate the partial unseating of said valve head whereby paint is allowed to flow through said valve to said paint dispensing means.     
     
     
       2. The paint dispensing system of claim 1 in which said lower chamber section is substantially conically shaped and said valve head rests against the wall of said lower substantially conical section in such a manner as to seal said upper section of said chamber from the conical section thereof and adapted upon the application of a lateral pressure on the opposite end of said valve stem to separate one side of said valve head from the wall of said conical section, thereby to allow the flow of paint from the said upper section to the conical portion of said chamber and through said valve stem to said paint dispenser. 
     
     
       3. The paint dispensing system of claim 1 in which said paint dispensing means comprises a device having at one end thereof a substantially triangular shape and having an inverted open channel with the open portion of said channel covered by absorbent porous fabric capable of having paint permeate therethrough at a controlled rate, said channel having an opening connecting to the extremity of said valve stem opposite from said valve head whereby paint passing through said valve stem is fed into said channel and eventually through the permeable pores in said fabric for application to the surface to be painted. 
     
     
       4. The paint dispensing system of claim 1 in which said paint dispensing means comprises a brush having a tube feeding into the bristles of said brush by means of a manifold having a number of openings along the width of said brush, said feed tube being connected to the said valve stem and adapted to receive and dispense paint flowing through said valve stem. 
     
     
       5. The paint dispensing system of claim 4 in which said paint brush is covered with an absorbent, porous fabric through which the paint permeates for application to the surface to be painted. 
     
     
       6. The paint dispensing system of claim 1 in which said paint dispensing means is shaped similar to a brush but instead of bristles has a flexible manifold and a tube connecting said manifold with said valve stem, said flexible manifold being covered by absorbent, porous fabric and adapted to feed the paint received from said valve stem to a plurality of openings therein and through the porous fabric to the surface to be painted. 
     
     
       7. The paint dispensing system of claim 1 in which said paint dispensing means comprises a paint roller adapted so that said valve stem feeds paint through at least one hollow arm of said roller, said roller having a double walled compartment; the outer wall of said compartment comprising the outer cylindrical surface of said roller and the other wall of said compartment comprising a second cylinder concentric with and spaced a short distance inside said outer wall, the end walls of said roller sealing the said compartment except for an opening connecting to said hollow arm or said roller through which paint may flow to the interior of said compartment, said outer wall of said compartment having a plurality of openings therein and having cylindrical absorbent, porous fabric covering said cylindrical wall and adapted to have the paint entering said compartment flow out said wall openings and permeate through said fabric. 
     
     
       8. The paint dispensing system of claim 7 in which one of said end walls is extended so as also to be in contact with the surface being painted by means of said fabric, whereby friction of said extended end wall with said surface serves to rotate said roller. 
     
     
       9. The paint dispensing system of claim 8 in which said extension comprises a thin disc attached to said end wall and extending slightly beyond the cylindrical surface of said roller.